An Epicurean Tour of the French Provinces

The départment of the Basses-Pyrénées in the far southwestern corner of France is significant to the traveler for a variety of reasons. It is composed of two highly picturesque elements. One is the smiling province of Béarn, the homeland of the good king Henri IV. The oilier is a part of the unique Basque country which covers an atmospheric stretch of hills and coastline in both France and Spain. A peculiar limpid light hovers over these lavender hills most of the year. It is the landscape painter's dream. There are country auberges in these whitewashed villages which will warm the heart of the humblest visitor, and there are palaces in Biarritz which measure up to the requirements of royalty. There is a fascination about the Basque people, their language, their games, dances, and poetry, which sets them apart. This is the land for the skilled hunter and the trout fisherman. Best of all, it is the home of good food and wine and of discriminating gourmets who enjoy both. The thing to remember about this fortunate corner of France is that its Culinary tradition is genuinely high. Its cooking is one of the noblest in France, on a peak with only a few other chosen provinces, Périgord and La Bresse, for example. Almost everyone here is a gourmet according to his means, and a Basque farmer is just as particular about his fare as a titled ebâtelain in Pau.

This high tradition springs from rich resources. it may sound trite to call this province a “treasury of line food” something tells me I've used the phrase before but it's true. From high in the mountain streams, trout, salmon, plump crayfish, and a particularly fine variety of eel furnish a fish course of subtlety and distinction. From St. Jeandc-Luz the fishermen venture forth into the bay to bring salt-water fish directly to the Basque table. Much of the eatch is conventional, but you can enjoy some rarities, particularly the delicious rouge* de rocbe. If you are piseatorially unprejudiced, you may like the Basque cbipirones, or cuttlefish. These unpersonable creatures let loose their ink when in danger, thus obscuring the water and escaping larger fish. They don't escape the fisherman. though. If the fish aren't too seductive to gaze upon, they are delicious to eat, especially when stuffed in the Basque manner. Anchovies are caught in legions. Most of these go directly to the canneries, and once they went almost entirely to Italy. You will also find oysters and shrimp to lend charm to your hors-d'oeuvre or to make a noble meal in themselves.

For your meat course there is a fine, savory lamb in the Béarn. Needless to say. they insist on cooking it well embedded with cloves of garlic. The wonderful smoked ham of Bayonne has been a national glory for decades. There is a strong tradition about confus here, and they put up geese, ducks. turkeys, quail, and pigeon in (heir own far. A plump quail, nesting in a crock under his own delieate fat is something to reckon with! Furthermore, one finds superb foie grot in the region, so delieate and aromatic that it almost belongs on the same pinnacle of perfection as that of Périgord and Alsace. The poultry is good, too. It would have to be to justify that Béarnais classic, poule au pot, made famous by the good Henry of Navarre.

Finally, the Béarn is noted for its wild game. It is one of the great hunting areas of France, and very fashionable. Fox hunting in the country around Pan is a legend, and the hunt has always been followed by distinguished French and British sportsmen. Needless to say, they scorn the unsavory fox as food, but they hunt wild hare with fine gastronomic aftermaths. There is also a picturesque and highly edible mountain goat called the hard, This crag-clinging and elusive animal poses a stern problem to the hunter, and it is more of a distinction to shoot than to eat him. The keen instinct of the izard warns him of the approach of an enemy, and he has usually bounded from rock to rock and on out of sight before (the hunter's musket is raised. The marksman who bags one must have nerves and sinews of steel, and the eyes of a lynx, as well. The mountain goat makes a delicious dish, but he occupies a scant place in gastronomic lore just because so few hunters can down him. So don't be surprised if you don't find hard on the menu! Wild boar on the forested lower slopes is easier prey, and there is a luscious range of game birds. So your game course will not be neglected. And for a fungus to keep pace, the wooded Pyrenean hills yield mushrooms, cépes, and that waned treasure, the morille.

To top it all, the Béarn is a country of surprising and delicious local wines. They do not travel as well as some and no longer venture to foreign lands as they did back in the sixteenth century. But if their fame is largely local, their quality is rare. The most noble growth is Jurançon, a fragrant amber nectar grown near Pau. which defies my best superlatives, but I'll try. It is heady, ardent, invigorating, and unforgettable. There is also a red Jurançon which has some of the charm of a good Côtes-du-Rhône. (The name Jurançon is confusing, since it recalls the Jura in Franchc-Comté, which has no connection at all.)

In the Vic-Bilh area of the Béarn they produce a solid and heavily perfumed wine from a combination of grapes Sémillon, Sauvignon, Ruffiac, Marsenc, and Courbu which is most palatable. The wine called Portet seemed especially good.

The Basques make some worthy wines, too. The best liked is Irouléguy, and it is found in most of the good restaurants. Then there are refreshing local crus from Louhossoa and Itxassou don't ask me how to pronounce that one! two villages high in the hills on the road to Spain. The Basques also make a memorable liqueur. Izarra, which is comparable to benedictine.

This small province has always been popular with travelers. a fact which is partially explained by the character and customs of the Basques themselves. Visitors are impressed by many things; the dignity of the close shaven Easque, the gaiety and beauty of his daughter, the meek self effacement of his wife, and the mysterious complexity of his language. Basques are different They play pelota from childhood. They write romantic poems and indulge in vivacious native dances. Their classic beret has become an accepted headpiece all over the world. The Basque farmhouse is a thing of beauty and the scene of a family life which would startle many an unfettered American family. The man of the house is the absolute king here. He sits at the table with his sons, while his wife and daughters serve them. The women eat standing up in a far corner of the room so as not to disturb the master.

The Basque native is silent and untatkative. “Words are female, actions are male,” he explains. He has an aristocratic dignity in keeping with his Roman profilenone of the boisterous noise of his neighbors on the Mediterranean. He has set traditions. The oldest sen inherits the farm that is fixed and inviolable. A younger son is free to migrate to North or South America and make his fortune before returning home to retire. He may become a fisherman out of St. Jean-de-Luz or, better yet, a professional peloid player. He might even become a Basque dancer or a verse-writer.

The Basque farmhouse, neat and whitewashed and often timbered, is the core of home life in these hills. It is nearly always unsymmetrical, and its façade, overhung by a wide roof, almost always faces cast. For centuries these houses have turned their backs to the rainy west winds. If you have a chance to see a Basque kitchen, don't miss it! You can see one in the Musée Basque in St. Jean-de-Luz, by the way.

The basque béret is an inseparable companion of the lean native. He wears it at the table, hangs it on the bed post at night, and, in fact, takes it with him in his tomb. The basque game of pelota has conquered the countryside even more than baseball has captivated our country. From toddlers up, the Basques whip that bill up against a high wall. Sometimes the children are barehanded, but the elders wear the legendary cbistera, or wicker basker, fastened to the fist. It is an agile game and fascinating to watch. Jean Borotra, the bounding Basque, is no mystery after seeing his fellow Basques in action on the peloid court.

The unique language of this one small spot in Europe differentiates it from all others. Its roots bear no resemblance to those of the Latin tongues, and it has furnished many a puzzle to philologists. The language is called Basque, or Eskuara, and you have to live here from infancy to speak it well. If you are there for only a few days, it might be well to try out two words though. Ba means yes and ez means no. Try it and sec! Here is a sample of this bizarre language: “Eskuara eskualdunen hizkuntza da; ez da errecba, bainan ikbasten abal da; lehenbizikorik behar dena nabikundea da, eta gero jarraiki.” Translated it means: “Eskuara is the language of the Basques; it is not easy, but one may learn it; first one needs determination and then perseverance”

This corner of France has contributed at least three classic dishes to French cooking lore; la garbure, the thick soup par excellence, poule au pot, the chicken dish fostered by Henry IV himself, and la piperade, the Basque version of the time-tried Spanish omelette. There are other specialties: la daube a la béarnaise, a mammoth splendor usually reserved for Christinas and other great occasions; loukinkas, small, spiced, and garlic-scented sausages which are eaten piping hot with cold oysters; and tournedos béarnaise for which the fabulous sauce was created. More than one critic will agree that it is the most delicious and inspired of all French sauces.

Despite its name, sauce béarnaise was not first conceived in this province. Its naming was a bit of a fluke, since the sauce was invented by the chef of the Pavilion Henri IV in St. Germain-en-Laye, near Paris, some one hundred and twenty years ago. Some say the cook was a Basque. But Henri IV, for whom the famed hostelry was named, certainly came from the Béarn, so it would have seemed logical to name the newly invented splendor béarnaise. The use of this sauce with so many dishes has emblazoned the word béarnaise on the masthead of countless recipes which aren't from this remote province at all. So you have to watch closely for the genuine Béarnais recipes. The following regional recipes. however, should lend a Basque note to your American kitchen:

Poule Fareie à la Béarnaise

This is the famous poule au pot of Henri IV and is simply a boiled fowl made just about as delicious as a boiled fowl can be.

Make a stuffing for the chicken first. Chop and saute 1 onion in a little butter; combine it with 1 ½ cups bread crumbs soaked in ¼ cup milk, the fowl's liver and gizzard, chopped, ¾ cup chopped ham, ¼ teaspoon thyme, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, salt and pepper to taste, and finally 2 eggs. yolks and whites beaten and added separately. Fill a 5 to 6-pound fowl with this stuffing, sew it up, truss and tie firmly.

Put 1 pound stewing beef in one piece in a kettle of water and bring it to a boil. Continue to boil for 20 minutes, skimming off the scum as it rises. Now add the stuffed chicken, 3 or 4 carrots, I small white turnip. 3 or 4 leeks, and 1 onion, all peeled and cut in large pieces, a bouquet garni of parsley, thyme, and a bay leaf. 1 tablespoon salt, and 3 or 4 peppercorns. Lower the flame, cover the kettle, and let the poule simmer for about 3 hours, or until it is tender.

Toward the end of the cooking period, wash thoroughly 1 cup rice and cook it separately until it is soft in some of the simmering stock. Serve the rice with the chicken, accompanied by a small howl of tomato sauce. At the same or the following meal, serve the beautiful remaining clear soup, or consommé, with its vegetables, poured over pieces of toasted French bread.

La Broye

Corn meal is used in the Béarn to make a sort of porridge which is particularly good when cooled, cut in squares, and fried.

Use either the white or yellow meal, though white, of the Virginia waterground variety, is best. (Several old mills in New England have also revived this method of grinding meal between stones in the old-fashioned way, with results infinitely more delicious than ordinary commercial meal.)

Heat 2 ½ cups of vegetable stock which you have saved from cooking dried beans, Lima beans, cauliflower, spinach, or almost any vegetable except possibly cabbage. When it boils, pour a little of this stock over 1 cup corn meal. Stir hard to dissolve all lumps. Add the rest of the liquid gradually, put the pan back on the fire, and cook the porridge until thick, which only takes a few minutes. Spread it on a wooden board in a ½-inch layer, cool, cut in squares, and brown each side in bacon fat.

Haricots Verts Béanaise

For I pound of fresh green string beans use ½ cup shredded cooked ham and 2 ripe tomatoes.

Cook the green beans in the usual way until almost done, leaving them still firm. Drain the beans and add 1 good tablespoon goose fat (or bacon fat or butter), salt and pepper, the julienne of ham. and the tomatoes which have been peeled, Seeded, and cut in small dice. Add 1 clove garlic, chopped and mashed. Cover and cook slowly for about 6 minutes.

Omelette Bayonnaise

Beat 4 fresh eggs in a bowl with 2 tablespoons cold water and salt and pepper until they are well mixed but not too foamy. When the omelette pan is very hot, put in 1 generous tablespoon butter, run it smoothly over the entire surface of the pan, including the sides, and pour in the eggs. Cook for a few minutes, leaving the center moist, and before folding it over, fill with the following mixture already prepared:

Slice and cook lightly ¼ pound mushrooms in butter with ½ cup diced cooked ham. Mix in 1 generous tablespoon sour cream and a pinch of tarragon leaves and heat them all together.

Le Hacbua

Cut 1 ½ pounds of good stewing beef (bottom of the round) in small cubes not more than ¾ inch square.

Melt 3 tablespoons lard (or goose or bacon fat) in an iron pot, add 3 small onions, chopped, 2 cloves garlic, Chopped and mashed, ¾ cup finely diced ham, 1 generous tablespoon flour, a banquet garni of parsley, thyme, and bay leaf, and salt and pepper.

Brown the beef cubes in this on all sides. Add 1 ¾ cups hot water or half water and half white wine. Cover the pot lightly and cook the beef in a 250° oven for about 2 ½ hours, or until the mc3t is tender. Half an hour before serving lebacbua, add 2 small green peppers cut in 1-inch pieces. The sauce should not be too plentiful or thin.

Tourin, or Soupe & I'Oignon

The onion soup of the Béarn has a distinctive flavor of its own, due to the herbs and a little vinegar which are added-as is not customary in most French onion soups.

Slice and chop rather finely 4 large or 5 smaller onions. Saute them in 2 generous tablespoons goose fat (or bacon drippings) over a medium (lame. Add ¾ tablespoon flour, salt and pepper, land 2 cloves garlic, chopped and mashed. and cook until all is golden, being careful not to burn. Put in a large sprig of parsley, a good pinch of thyme, and 1 tablespoon tarragon wine vinegar.

Add 2 quarts water or stock from cooked vegetables and simmer for ¾ hour, or until the stock is reduced to about 1 ½ quarts. Stock from cooking vegetables is best, but a can of consomme with the water will do nicely.

The restaurants of the Béarn and the Basque country, in keeping with the other attractions, are above the average. Here is a partial list of noteworthy places in the Béarn:

Pau

Long a favored haunt of the hunting set, this aristocratic town has several good hotels, golf clubs, and self-respecting restaurants. Among the latter are: RôTISSERIE PéRBIGOURDINE, 6 rue Adoue, facing the church. This pleasant, terraced restaurant is supervised closely by Monsieur Bonnaure, a gifted cuisinier with an appreciation of regional cookery. You are certain to find some of these specialties on his menu: garbure, tournedos Rossini, entrecôte grillé béarnaise, foie gras au Porto, and pécbe Melba.

L'ETRIER, place Royale, across from the Hôtel dc Ville. You may taste here such local delicacies as trout, poulet sauté basquaise, and foie gras truffé. If you want a supreme climax. Monsieur Orth provides a fine soufflé Grand Marnier.

LE ROMANO, 1 bis rue des Orphelins. A comfortable, small restaurant decorated in Basque style and directed by an accomplished chef, Monsieur Duprat. You will certainly like his croustade dc foie gras an truffes and his steaks and chickens prepared in the Basque manner. This is a good place to try those beguiling Jurançon wines.

Jurancon

In this wine village about two kilometers from Pau is a little restaurant whose wines are near perfection and where, SO the rumor goes, you can sometimes taste the elusive izard. This is L.A BELLE CASIS, where a good omelette piperade and a duck embellished with oranges can provide quite as fine fare as the leaping mountain goat.

Peyrehorade

Midway between Pau and the coast, this old town with the hard-to-remember name is a good overnight stop for leisurely travelers. At the HOTEL CENTRAL, an unpretentious inn off the main road, you will find carefully prepared dishes from the kitchen of Monsieur Ducassé. a former Parisian chef who is widely respected in the neighborhood. A dinner consisting of garbure, poached salmon, foie gras de canard aux raisins, and a half-bottle of Jurançon left your correspondent in a most contented mood.

The restaurants of the Basque country fall naturally into two eategories, those in the cities and watering places along the shore and those loeated in picturesque villages in the hills. The most famed town, of course, is

Biarritz

This mondain resort is far more sophistieated than the rest of the Basque country. Ever since the days of the Empress Eugenic, it has been immensely fashionable. Its buildings are baroque but not quite blowsy, and the ensemble forms something of an arehitectural nightmare. But notables from Edward VII down have made Biarritz their favorite resort, and its vogue has never waned. The sea is gentle and the beach is irresistble here in warm weather. There is a softness to the atmosphere which soothes despite the arehitecture.

You will find lavish fare at the Palace, the Miramar, the Carlton. and many another gilded hostelry in Biarritz. Being a bird of passage. 1 assessed all the recommendations and tried the AMUASSADE DE BOURGOGNE on the rue Alcedo with pleasing results. Both Basque and Burgondian specialties were served in this cordial spot, and the prices were very fair. If you have an urge to try that stuffed cuttlefish, here is the place.

St. Jean-de-Luz

Personally, I would prefer to vaeation in this venerable fishing town, a few miles south of Biarritz. This was once a very active whaling center, and a visit to the old port will demonstrate that the fishermen are still gainfully employed. Besides unloading their eatch at the stone pier, they provide badly needed distraction to bored hotel dwellers, who watch them by the hour. Louis XIV and Marie Thérèse were married in the old church of St. Jean, near the port. It is an extraordinary structure, boasting an elaborate gilded altar screen and a triple gallery reserved for men only. In St. Jean.de-Luz you will find many hotels with commendable cooking. For purely local specialties, however, you may prefer the PETIT GRILL BASQUE, 2 rue St. Jacques. This little place on an obscure side street serves the fish soup known as tioro(very fine indeed), followed by a grilled rouget de rocbe of particular savor, together with a cool goblet of Irouléguy. I hope you like the Petit Grill Basque as well as I did.

Ciboure

Separated from St. Jean-de-Luz by a mere bridge, this old town is the setting for a most refreshing establishment, the HOSTELLBRIE CIBOURE. Loeated at a bend in the road just over the bridge, it has the atmosphere of an old relais tie paste combined with a sophistieation in keeping with its well-furbished customers. The dining room is large and well illuminated, and there is an inviting shaded garden. Monsieur et Madame Jacquet ate charming heats, and they can provide you with such local prides as tioro, piperade, and foie gras as well as the conventional French dishes, all beautifully prepared.

Bayonne

This thoroughly attractive provincial city north of Biarritz is famed for its hum, chocolate, and macaroons, and its magnificent cloistered eathedral but not for its restaurants. You'll get along all right, but here is a good place to concentrate on museums rather than on food. The Musée Bonnat is one of the finest in the provinces, especially in the field of French painting. There is also a memorable museum of Basque art in Bayonne, which couldn't resemble its New Jersey namesake less.

Cambo-les-Bains

We now leave the shore behind and take to the fragrant hills of the Basque country. Dwellers of hotels and villas take delight in motoring far up in these green-clad hills and lunching in some remote village. A worthy string of little country inns has sprung up as a result. Some of these are seattered along the Spanish border near Hendaye, while others border the river Nive along the road to St. Jean-Pied-de-Port. A most agreeable experience awaits you in Cambo-les-Bains, a hill town with a superb view of the surrounding countryside. Here you will find two restaurants near the church with atmosphere and food to match the view. One is the HOTEL ST. LAURENT, a smiling establishment which serves la piperade or poules basquaise or truite a la crème to an impressive elientele. The other is the MAISON BASQUE, a clean, modern place with Basque décor and a convivial little bar. Here is a chance to try the freshly caught salmon and trout from the mountain streams, with a glass of cool wine.

Bidarray

Farther along the road to St. Jean Pied-de-Port is an old Roman bridge, marking the village of Bidarray. Here on the banks of the river is the RESTAURANT NORMA, a good Basque auberge with a hospitable terrace and a gracious Basque host, Monsieur Bidégaray. You will find that his mountain trout has no superior in the Basque country, and he has a handsome Irouléguy to escort it.

St. Etienne-de-Baigorry

Within sight of St. Jean-Pie-d-de-Port and hovering under the hills which mark the Spanish frontier is this red, black, and white village, the site of the HOTEL. DU TRINQUET ET PYRéNéES. Your landlord, the cordial Monsieur Jean areé, welcomes you to a flowery terrace on the banks of a gurgling stream. The atmosphere is gay and sunny, and the cooking is thoroughly good. Pick a beautiful day and you are sure of an idyllic interlude here.

Biriatou

Near the frontier city of Hendaye are two other Basque villages boasting fine country inns. Many a motorist knows the restaurant BONNBT-ATCHENIA in the village of Biriatou. Monsieur and Madame Bonnet have installed their restaurant in a fine old house with an areade of plane trees and a flowery terrace. Here you sit in the shade, admiring the Spanish Pyrenees in front of you and sampling Monsieur Bonnet's own gifted interpretation of la pipemde or poulet basque. You are also assured of a good luncheon at the HOTEL. I HIRIBARREN in this village. Madame Hiribarren possesses a well deserved reputation as a Cordon Bleu and has many devoted customers.

Ascain

Our last village in the Basque hills is only a short drive from the coast. Facing the rustic square in Ascain is a notable aaberge where the finest tradition of French innkeeping is scrupulously observed. This is the HOTEL ETCHOLA, a hospitable place under the direction of Madame Fréville. The cooking is perhaps a notch or two above the high average of its competitors, and the addilion shows it. But if your luncheon IIKI your bottle of lrouléguy turn out to be as unforgettable as mine, the little slip of paper will seem a gross understatement.

FOR THOSE fortunate gourmets who are sailing or flying to France this year, here is a handy checklist of the restaurants and hotels already recommended by Samuel Chamberlain in “An Epicurean Tour of the French Provinces'' which began in GOURMET, Mareh, 1949.

Alsace

Département of Bas-Rbin

• Chatenois-Hotel de la Gare
• Haut Koenigsbourg-Hôtel Schaenzel
• Murlenheim-Hôtel Cerf
• Moosch-Hôtel de France et Relais 66
• Obersteinbach-Restaurant Anthon
• Sehirmeck-Hôtel Donon
• Stambach-Hôtel Fameuse Truite
• Strasbourg-Maison Kammerzell, Restaurant Valentin Sorg, Restaurant
• Zimmer Wasselonnc-Hôtel de la Gare Wissembourg-Hôtel Ange

Département of the Haus-Rhin

• Colmar-Restaurant des Tétes Kaysersberg-Hôtel Chambard Ribeauvillé-Restaurant Pépinière

Bresse

Département of Am

• Artemare-Hôtel Berrnrd
• Bourg en Bresse Hôtel de France; Hôtel de 1Europe; Restaurant à l'Escargot
• Ceyzeriat-Restaurant Balcon
• Ferney-Voltaire-Hôtel dc Pailly
• Nantua-Hôtel de France
• Pérougcs-Hostellerie dc Pérouges
• Priay-Hôtel Bourgeois
• St. Germain-de-Joux-Hôtel Reygrobel let
• St. Jean-deGonville Restaurant Demornex
• Thoissey-Hôtel Chapon Fin

Brittany

Département of Côtes-du-Nord

• Dinan-Chez la Mere Pourced; Hôtel de
• la Poste Perros-Guirec-Hôtel Printania; H6tel
• le Sphinx Pointe de 1'areouest-Hôtel le Barbu Sables d'Or - Hostellerie des Dunes
• d'Armor Saint-Briac-Hostellerie du Centre Saint-Brieuc-Hôtel Croix Rouge Saint-Efflam - Grand Hôtel Saint Ef-
• flam Le Val-André-Le Grand H6tel

Département of Finistèere

• Huelgoat-Hôtel d'Angleterre Landerneau-Hôtel des Voyageurs et du
• Commerce Locrooan-Auberge Saint-Ronan Port Manec'h-Hôtel Julia Quimper-Hôtel de I'Epée et Relais
• Saint-Corentin Quimperlé-Vieille Maison Riec - sur - Belon Restaurant Rouat
• (Chez Mélanie)

Déparement of Ille-et-Vilaine

• Hédé-Hostellerie du Vieux-Moulin Saint-Malo-Hôtel de l'Univers
• Département of Loire-Inféricure
• Nantes-Hostellerie du Change; Restaurant Mainguy
• La Baule-Hôtel Toque Blanche

Département of Morbihan

• Auray-Hôtel du Pavilion, Lion d'Or et
• Poste
• La Trinité-sur-Mer Hôtel-Restaurant
• des Voyageurs Vannes-La Rôtisserie

Lower Burgundy

Département of Yonne

• Auxerre-Hôtel dc 1'Epée; Tour d'Orbandelle
• Avallon-Hôtel dc la Poste
• Chablis-Hôtel dc I'Etoilc
• Joigny-Hôtel Escargot
• La Cerce-Relais Fleuri
• Sens-Hôtel de Bourgogne; Hôtel de
• Paris et de la Poste Valée du Cousin-Moulin des Ruats Vézelay-Hôtel dc la Poste Villevallier-Pavillon Bleu

Upper Burgundy

Département of C6te d'Or

• Beaune-Hôtel de la Cloche; Hôtel de
• la Poste Chatillon-sur-seine-Hôtel Côte d'Or Chenove-Hôtel de I'Escargotière Dijon-Hôtel du Nord; Grande Taverne; Restaurant Pré-aux-Clercs; Restaurant aux Trois Faisans Les Laumcs-Hôtel de la Gare St. Seinc-l'Abbaye - Restaurant de la
• Poste Saulieu-Hôtel Côte d'Or

Département of Saône-et-Loire

• Anost-Restaurant Guyard Auton-Hôtel Sr. Louis et de la Poste Chalons-sur-Saônc-Hôtel Royal Cbarolles-Hôtel Moderne Fleurville-Hôtel Chanel Mâcon-Auberge* Bressane Pontanevaux-Hostellerie Compagnons
• dc Jehu Tournus-Hôtel du Sauvage

Languedoc

Département of Aude

• Careassonne-Hôtel de la Cite; Restaurant Auter
• Castelnaudary-Grand Hôtel Fourcade

Département of Aveyron

• Roquefort-sur-Soulzon-Grand Hôtel

Département of Gard

• Alès-Hôtel de Luxembourg

Département of Haute Garonne

• Toulouse-Restaurant Richelieu

Département of Hérault

• Gignac-Hôtel Central Montpellicr-Chez Nénette

Département of Tarn

• Albi-Hôtel Vigan

Département of Tarn-et-Garonne

• Montauban-Hôtel du Midi

Lyonnais

Département of Loire

• Feurs-Hôtel Pare et Provence St. Priest-en-Jarez-Le Clos Fleuri

Département of Rbône

• Bans-Restaurant Cros
• Les Halles-Hôtel Charreton
• Lyons-Restaurant Morateur; La Mère Guy; La Mere Filloux. La Mère Brazier; Le Molière; Garein; Farge; Restaurant du Cafe Neuf
• Tassin-la-Demi-Lune - Restaurant la Sauvagie

Niverais

Département of Nièvers

• La Charité-sur-Loire - Le Grand Mon arque Nevers-Hôtel de France et Grand
• Hotel; Auberge de la Porte du
• Croux Pouilly-sur-Loire-Hôtel I'Esperance

Périgord

Département of Cossèze

• Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne-Central Hôtel

Département of Dordogne

• Bergerac-Hôtel de Bordeaux
• ecynac-HStel Bonnet
• Brantôme-Hôtel Moderne
• Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Hôtel Cro-Magnon
• Périgueux-Hôtel Domino

Département of Lot

• Rocamdour-Hôtel Lion d'Or St. Céré-Touring Hôtel Souillac-Grand Hôtel

Provence

Département of Alpes-Maritinses

• Autibes-Taverne Provence; Chez Felix
• au Port Beaulieu-sur-Mer-La Réserve La Brague-La Bonne Auberge Cannes-Marjolaine La Colle-sur-Loup-Hôtel de L'Abbaye La Napoule-Plage-La Mère Terrats Nice-Restaurant Raynaud; Restaurant
• St. Moritz; Petit Brouand; Chez
• Garac Vence-Hostellerie du Lion d'Or
• Département of Basses-Alpes
• Bareelonnette-Touring Hotel
• Digne - Ermitage Napoleon; Hôtel
• Grand Paris Forcalquier-Hostellerie de la Louette

Département of Boucbes-du-Rbône

• Aix-en-Provence-Hôtel Roi-René Les Baux-Mas de Beaumanière Cassis-Hôtel des Roches Blanches Marseille-Restaurant Isnard; Brasserie
• de Strasbourg; Restaurant Campa;
• Restaurant Gardanne

Département of Var

• Carqueiranne-Chez Justin Cavalaire-sur-Mer-Le Lido La Celle-Abbaye de la Celle
• Le Luc-en-Provence-Hostellerie du
• Pare; Hôtel de 1'Etape St. Raphael-La Voile d'Or Toulon-La Potinière

Départment of Vattcluse

• Châteauneuf-du-Pape - Restaurant La Mule du Pape; Restaurant Mire Germaine
• Orange-Restaurant le Provençal
• Vaison-la-Romaine-Hôtel le Beffroi
• Vaucluse-Restaurant Philip
• Villeneuve-lès-Avignons - Hotel le Prieuré

Touraine

• Amboise-Auberge du Mail, H6tel de
• Choiseul, Hôtel de Lion d'Or Chaumont-Hostellerie du Chateau Chenonceau-Hoôtel Bon Laboureur et
• du Château Chinon-Hostellerie Gargantua Langeais-Family Hotel Loches-Hôtel de France Monnaie-Hostellerie Coq Hardi Tours-Hôtel de I'Univers, Grand Hotel, Hotel Métropole, Restaurant Lyonnais, Hôtel Moderne, Hôtel Bordeaux Vouvray-Hôtel Pont dc Cisse